Michigan football: Is Shea Patterson playing his last game in Ann Arbor on Saturday?

When Shea Patterson first met Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh last December, there was an instant connection. After the dirty mess Patterson had gone through at Ole Miss, finding a new program — and a new coach — was all about finding the perfect marriage.

Mission accomplished.

Patterson has been the perfect fit for Michigan, and that’s clearly worked both ways. He’s been mostly good — say A-minus good, and trending upward — in leading Michigan to a 9-1 record and a No. 4 national ranking. That has a lot to to do Harbaugh, who sees a lot of himself as a player in Patterson. His junior QB sees it, too. These two guys, though separated by 33 years, really are two peas in a pod. Patterson knew that about Harbaugh after their very first meeting.

“Just his passion for the game — you can really see it,” Patterson said. “I think I’m one of those guys, too. I love the game. I love everything that comes with it. So does he, not only as a player back when he was playing, but as a coach. You can see it.”

After meeting Harbaugh for the first time, Patterson told a friend “I want to play for that guy.” That’s happened, and it’s worked well.

But for how long? Patterson definitely has NFL talent, so it is possible this could be his only year at Michigan? Is Saturday’s game with Indiana his last appearance in the Big House? Could he really say goodbye to Ann Arbor after just one season?

Reports have started to surface that Patterson will at least test the NFL draft waters after the season. Deciding to stay or go will happen then, in the spring — and not now.

“As far as I know, Shea hasn’t given any thought to that,” Sean Patterson, the quarterback’s father, said last week. “What I do know is that he’s 100 percent focused on helping his teammates win the next game and will stay focused on that — one game at a time — until the end of the season, and beyond.”

Patterson is listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, which is small by NFL standards. Many have predicted that when the rulers come out at the NFL Scouting Combine — whether it’s this February or next — that Patterson might actually be an inch smaller.

Michigan assistant head coach and passing-game coordinator Pep Hamilton, who has plenty of NFL coaching experience himself, said Pattterson’s size wouldn’t matter as much to NFL scouts these days.

“The one thing that I think is becoming more of a trend in both the NFL level and college level, at the quarterback position, the antiquated thought that a guy has to be 6-5, 270 pounds to play the position, that’s not necessarily the case anymore,” Hamilton said. “You want to find the players that have been the best players their entire lives and find the way to build a system and put schemes in place to feature those talents. The one thing that really makes Shea Patterson exceptional, in my opinion, is his competitive instincts, is ability to make plays when the plays break down, the on-schedule plays.”

Patterson has shown off his legs on many occasions, as well as a strong arm. He threw three touchdown passes Saturday against Rutgers on a windy, blustery day.

How windy was it?

“I dropped two in the pregame,” his coach, Jim Harbaugh, said disappointedly. “I pride myself on catching them all.”

Patterson has all the tools to play in the NFL right now, but truth be told, he’s probably nothing more than a second- or third-round pick right now.

It makes more sense for him to be at Michigan in 2019, which was probably his thought process all along anyway when he transferred from Ole Miss, because he had no way of knowing how the NCAA was going to rule on his transfer. He committed to Michigan without know if he was going to be able to play this year or not. So, basically, this has all been a bonus this year.

For everyone involved.

My guess is that Patterson does have another year of games in the Big House and Saturday is not the farewell. The only way that changes is if Michigan wins out and Patterson plays great, making himself a first-round pick this year. That could happen.

In any case, I’m sure the Michigan faithful will give him plenty of loud cheers on Saturday, kudos for a job well done.

So far.

Tom Brew

Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.